Julian Knight, the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Solihull has talked about his own difficult upbringing whilst welcoming the government's new work programme for the unemployed.
The scheme will see the very long term unemployed given three options to join a work voluntary work programme, attend a job centre on a daily basis so to view new vacancies, or for those with mental health and alcohol issues they can get targeted help to give them a path to work.
Julian Knight says "I was brought up on a council estate by a lone parent and I have seen up close the way in which long term unemployment can wreck lives and hope.
"I am 100% per cent behind this scheme; for too long all political parties have allowed a huge section of our society to live in a state of complete worklessness. I have seen families where three generations do not work and no one benefits, particularly not the children who can grow up without hope. Getting people from the ranks of the long term unemployed into work is the single biggest thing that we can do right now to turn around our society."